MxMIndia

Tag: CVL Srinivas

  • He will join GroupM early in 2013 to succeed Vikram Sakhuja as GroupM South Asia CEO after quitting Starcom Mediavest yesterday

    CVL Srinivas to join GroupM as South Asia CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    CVL Srinivas

    GroupM Asia Pacific today announced that CVL Srinivas will join GroupM early next year (2013) to succeed Vikram Sakhuja as GroupM South Asia CEO with responsibility for all GroupM operations in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

     

    Mr Srinivas (or ‘Srini’, as he is known in the industry) will also join the GroupM Asia Pacific executive committee. On October 9, Mr Srinivas had resigned from Starcom MediaVest Group as its Chairman-India and CEO, LiquidThread APAC. He had joined the group in January 2011.

     

    Vikram Sakhjua, former GroupM Asia CEO who was recently announced as Worldwide CEO for Maxus, will remain based in Mumbai.

     

    Mr Srinivas will report to Mark Patterson AP CEO GroupM. On the appointment, Mr Patterson commented, “Srini was our first choice by some stretch for this role. In his previous roles in GroupM he excelled and he rejoins us with more and different experiences under his belt, which will serve our clients, our people and our ambitions well. We have a world class business in theSouth Asiaregion and Srini has the skills, personality, relationships and attitude to build the business on strategy and with his own style and ideas too. He will add huge value inSouth Asia, to our business in the wider AP region and no doubt WW too. I am personally very excited and delighted to work with Srini closely once again as I am sure are many of his colleagues and friends in GroupM.”

     

    On his new role, Mr Srinivas commented, “I am really looking forward to taking up this role and going back to an organisation where I learnt the ropes and built a business. Vikram and his team have done a phenomenal job in growing the business and diversifying the service offerings to date. I am thrilled to be joining a talented team and working with such a portfolio of powerful media brands and fantastic clients. Mark has outlined a vision for the business regionally and globally that I am excited and challenged about and one I look forward to participating.”

     

    Mr Sakhuja said, “It has been a privilege and a joy over the past 15 years to work with Srini as a client, a colleague and a competitor. Srini brings truly disruptive thinking to the party and to my mind is the best person I can think of to take GroupM South Asia to an increasingly integrated, digital, data driven and addressable age. Welcome back to the family Srini.”

     

    In a career spanning over 20 years in media industry, Mr Srinivas, an XLRI Jamshedpur alumnus, has served as Chairman Starcom MediaVest Group (India) at Starcom MediaVest Group, Director- Private Treaties at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, CEO, Asia Pacific at GroupM (Maxus), COO at Madison Communications, and Media Head Personal Products & Foods Unilever account at Fulcrum (JWT).

     

  • Gone are the days when 'creative' lived in a world of its own. Media agencies have to embrace creativity and assimilate it into their thought and work processes.

    The Anchor: CVL Srinivas on 5 reasons all media agencies need to be creative

    CVL Srinivas

    By CVL Srinivas

     

    #1 Media is part of the overall creative product – media agencies cannot be divorced from ideas and creativity. While a great amount of number-crunching and accountability measures can be brought into play, ultimately it is the power of the idea that makes a brand. Media agencies need to contribute to these ideas and not come in their way.

     

    #2 The role of a media agency is changing from managing throughput to creating experiences. To be able to create experiences and not just deliver exposure for brands, media agencies have to think creatively about their business and their future. Otherwise media agencies will remain throughput engines and soon lose their relevance.

     

    #3 Digital is bridging the gap between media and creative. If digital media solutions are to be effective, media agencies need to contribute as much to the creative as to the digital media strategy.

     

    #4 The explosion of content is fuelling media solutions of a different kind. Today there are numerous opportunities to ride on existing content or create a solution through a piece of entertaining content. Media agencies are equipping themselves to deliver on this front. It’s like having a mini creative agency within a media agency.

     

    #5 Given the high level of fragmentation and the mushrooming of specialist agencies, be it in digital or analytics or content, media agencies need to creatively tap into the ecosystem and work with partners to ensure that they stay ahead of the game. Media agencies can no longer live in their own siloed world.

     

    CVL Srinivas is the Chairman, SMG India and Managing Director, LiquidThread – APAC

     

  • Anita Nayyar is among the many captains of media agencies who have returned after a short to long stint on the other side

    U-turn to comfort zone!

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Anita Nayyar

    After a fabulous five-year stint at Havas Media, Anita Nayyar is returning to the agency post a four-month stint at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL). The news of her joining BCCL as Director, Customer Strategy was seen as a big leap and an opportunity for her to be on the other side of the table. Her decision to come back and reclaim her old role as the CEO for Havas Media for India and South Asia hence came as a surprise. The fact that post has been vacant ever since she left in April this year evidently made it easier.

     

    On her part, Ms Nayyar maintains that she was missing the pace of her agency life; after all she has been with media agencies for more than two-and-a-half decades. “There was nothing wrong at BCCL. In fact, it was an interesting assignment and BCCL is a fantastic organization and they took good care of me. However, I have realized that my heart lies in being on the other side of the table and that is on the agency side,” she told MxMIndia.

     

    “In fact, the stint made me understand the issues from a publication point of view which often we fail to see as we have not been a part of it. It gave me an opportunity to see a new side of business and will surely help me in the way ahead,” she added.

     

    CVL Srinivas

    CVL Srinivas, Chairman, SMG India and MD, LiquidThread, APAC, moved to Private Treaties at BCCL after Maxus and now with SMG. Talking about his moves, Mr Srinivas said: “I moved at a time when I was to head to Singapore to run Maxus Asia-Pacific. I had chosen a successor to head Maxus India and completed the handover, so it was a good time to sit and evaluate career options. Having worked in media agencies for 13 years on the trot, I felt it was time to get out of my comfort zone and explore the world outside. I had always done roles that involved scaling up businesses, building teams, so I thought working with or for start-ups would be a good way to build on my strengths and yet do something different.

     

    On the stint at Private Treaties (now called Brand Capital) ending soon, Mr Srinivas commented, “I consulted for a few start-ups before joining Times Treaties where I had a two year stint. In all, I was outside of media agencies for a good four years. I chose to come back because of the role that was offered to me by SMG. It seemed to have all the right ingredients at that stage of my career.”

     

    It is not uncommon of an advertising person to move to the client side of the business but only few switch to the media side of the business (print and broadcast primarily) and more importantly even rarer come back to the agency once again. However, as we understand that it’s not the case of sour grapes for comebacks.

     

    Karthik Lakshminarayan

    Karthik Lakshminarayan, COO at Crest (Madison Media) re-joinedMadisonwhere he had worked for close to eight years post his foray into broadcast and production when he was with Colors, FoodFood and Fremantle Media. For him the decision to join broadcast was, as he puts it: “A challenge thrown to be a part of a launch and do something completely different and radical from Media Planning and Buying which I was doing for over 14 years and was adept at.”

     

    However, the decision to come back was, “purely because it was Madison as it was a home-coming. Any other agency would not have been the same or felt the same.”

     

    A senior industry person who had been in a similar situation pointed that while hiring an agency person is desirable for media houses as they come with multiple experience of working on various brands, but the difficulty begins once you are inside the publication or broadcast company. There is a huge cultural difference, because the kind of monies the media houses deal with is humongous as compared to what the agencies deal with. In his words: “The agency people are bound by certain set of responsibilities, it’s like a relay race where you do your work and then hand the baton to the next yet at the same time be part of a team, however the media house is huge and set of responsibilities diverse hence making the transition becomes difficult. Also, one could be a CEO of the agency and be well recognized but the same person will get lost in the media house where there are many biggies ruling the roost.”

     

    Suresh Balakrishnan

    Talking of the scale of business being different, Suresh Balakrishna who joined back LMG as CEO of Brand Programming Network after a decade of being with print explained, “The media houses definitely means operating on much bigger canvas and the scale of monies involved being huge. You learn to be a business man as there are hard trade-offs and you need to take hard calls on driving the bottom line as well as the top line. So the pressure involved in definitely higher. ”

     

    While that’s the view of people who have made a comeback, the recruiters have a different take. An advertising industry recruiter on anonymity said: “I can’t really think of many who have made a transition and then come back to the media agency. Yes for us, those willing to come back especially at senior level are good prospects for recruitment considering the dearth of talent besides they are value for money. There is comfort in coming back to your old set up.”

     

    However she added: “I do think that people who are willing to come back are usually those who are having a tough time in their current set up.”

     

    On the other hand, those who made the switch and then came back to agency feel that the experience only helped them in their career. As Mr Srinivas puts it: “I learnt a lot at BCCL. Firstly, to get a first-hand experience of being on the media owner side was very helpful. Secondly, I worked with some very fine minds at Private Treaties and got a much better understanding of how businesses are built and brands created from scratch. And being part of India’s largest media company (when one is not used to such scale on the agency side) was a huge learning in itself.”

     

    Mr Balakrishna too added, “The learnings at media houses have been immense as I had  joined HT around 2001 which was a time when media houses were just getting professional in their approach and this was an aggressive phase of growth. Mint and DNA were challenger brands as they were not the leaders so one had to be literally on our toes thinking all the time to take away whatever possible from competition to establish ourselves.”

     

    However he added that his decision to join back was primarily because he felt that while he had acquired depth of learning he was missing the width of learning that an agency offers. One gets to work on different categories and with market becoming increasingly competitive and clients keeping a vigil on ROI the media agency business has become only more organized and scientific in their approach.

     

    Imaging: Rafiq, Images: Clipart

     

  • has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific

    Manisha Tripathi to head SMG’s LiquidThread in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    LiquidThread announced on Monday that Manisha Tripathi has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific and Malli CR, CEO SMG India. She takes charge on March 12 and will be based out of the Gurgaon office.

     

    LiquidThread is Starcom MediaVest Group’s all screen content practice. In line with the network’s digital, open source approach, LiquidThread has increased the scale and innovation of SMG’s content creation, moving beyond branded entertainment to create communities, conversations and advocates for brand properties.

     

    Ms Tripathi has more than 15 years experience in roles spanning content creation, strategy and business development. She began her career with TV18 where she produced, directed and scripted stories for shows such as India Business Report and Amul India Show. She was part of the core programming team at Star Plus between 2000-2004 and worked on several successful shows including Khullja Sim Sim, Kya Masti Kya Dhoom, Kisme Kitna Hai Dum, Sonpari, Kyunki Saas Bhi and others.

     

    Ms Tripathi was closely associated with the strategy, planning and content development at TataSKy during its launch phase. In her stint with BigFM, she was station director, Goa where she developed, launched and ran the first privately owned FM station of Goa. She later became station director Delhi.

     

    Most recently, Ms Tripathi was associated with Alva Brothers Entertainment, first as President, Miditech, producing shows for a range of channels and later with Real Lifestyle Broadcasting Pvt Ltd.

     

    Confirming the appointment, CVL Srinivas said: “Manisha has been at the cutting edge of content creation and brings the right blend of creativity and business focus. Her coming on board will help us accelerate the growth of our branded content business”.

     

    Commenting on her move to LiquidThread, Ms Tripathi said: “I’m delighted to join LiquidThread and excited about creating brand inspired content that reaches out, connects, engages and interacts with consumers across different screens, generating valuable experiences.”

     

    Ms Tripathi is a post graduate in Social Communications in Media from Sophia, Shree BK Somani Memorial Polytechnic College, Mumbai.

     

  • Starcom Mediavest president – global operations is upbeat about his new A team in India

    Focus on making SMG India a human experience company : John Sheehy

    By Johnson Napier

     

    For the Starcom MediaVest Group in India, 2011 was a particularly testing year. Apart from the top-level exodus that the network witnessed, it was also faced with the grim task of getting its three-pillared strategy, around Insights & Analytics, Digital and Content, deliver on its targets. But the mayhem didn’t happen. With the coming in of plenty of new and experienced talent, the agency was able to fire with renewed energy, with the result that it swept a record 18 wins, the best by the agency since its inception.

     

    Showering praises, John Sheehy, President, Global Operations, Starcom MediaVest Group says that this superb growth wouldn’t have been possible without the zeal and efforts of CVL Srinivas and his team. In conversation with MxM India, Mr Sheehy talks about the growth story in India so far, on the scope of emerging markets and how digital would continue to be the core focus area for the agency in 2012. Excerpts:

     

    Q: It was claimed that SMG’s growth story in India for 2011 was way ahead of what the industry average stood at. Does that give you a sense of accomplishment or do you feel that the growth story could have been even more stellar?

    With a revenue growth that was nearly twice the industry growth rate, 2011 was a very strong year for us in India. In fact, the strongest in three years. With 18 new business wins, this team has achieved great momentum in a relatively short amount of time working together.

     

    Yet, in many ways, 2011 was a building year for SMG India, with a new management team and a fair amount of restructuring. Importantly, the team has managed to attract some of the best talent in the industry and has established a strong foundation. We are focused on human understanding and creating experiences that go well beyond a smart media strategy, and as we’ve seen throughout 2011, it’s something clients are responding to.

     

    Q: The three-pillar strategy adopted by SMG was one of the talking points, both within the agency and outside amongst industry players. How would you rate the performance of each of these verticals in 2011 — Insights & Analytics, Digital and Content?

    Our three-pillar strategy, focusing on Insights & Analytics, Digital and Content, was key to helping us reach our goals of creating a differentiated media product, attracting quality talent and growing our business at a pace faster than the market average. On each vertical front, we will continue to push Digital forward aggressively. For example, 10 percent of our revenue comes from digital which is a strong performance for this market and I fully expect that percentage to double within the next two years.

     

    In addition, we are in the process of setting up a Centre of Excellence in Analytics in India. The Global team is working closely with the Indian management and we hope to leverage our existing knowledge and observations through this center.

     

    Q: As part of the restructuring exercise that the network engaged in last year, what stood out was your emphasis on attracting experienced talent from within the industry. How would you rate the performance of the new inductees, including the chief?

    Our new chairman, CVL Srinivas, is a world-class operator, who is very strategic and very focused. He’s a talent magnet, and he has been able to attract world-class talent, including CEO Mallikarjunadas C.R.; National Digital Director Arnab Mitra and Insights & Research Director Amrit Kaur. They set an agenda that aimed to create a differentiated product, attract quality talent and grow the business at a faster rate than the market average, and achieved these aims on all counts in the year.

     

    Q: SMG winning almost two dozen clients in an otherwise dull year may be an achievement that must have surprised many. How would you quantify the many (client) wins bagged by the network?

    We won 18 businesses in 2011, many of them coming in the second half. We will realise the full impact of these wins in 2012. What was heartening to note was that the wins came from across our four offices and from both our agency brands, Starcom and MediaVest.

     

    Q: While winning clients is one way of acknowledging success of being a good network, do you feel winning awards, too, should be another benchmark for rating the network?

    It can be a part of the measure to rate a network, and we celebrate our accolades (including “Network of the Year” at the Festival of Media and the Most Awarded Network at Cannes) as ONE. Our focus globally is one of creating meaningful experiences that connect our clients and consumers through a “future-proofed” practice of content, digital communications and consumer understanding. This drives all that we do and unites us to be the best, awards and accolades are a byproduct of a world-class product.

     

    Q: How would you rate SMG India’s performance compared to the siblings across APAC, and around the world?

    We had high expectations from our team in India and they have delivered. We have had our best performance in the past three years in this market. Overall, SMG continues to do well across the globe.

     

    Q: While you’d continue to channelize resources around emerging markets, are there any new markets that you plan to explore/pursue in 2012?

    From a geographic standpoint we have a leading global footprint, consistent with the changing global consumer, our focus is expanding core capability in key growth areas, which are Analytics, Insights, Digital and Content.

     

    Q: Given the volatile economic scenario, what were the impediments that SMG had to deal with from a global standpoint?

    Many clients are still in a “watch-and-wait” mode when it comes to 2012. I can say that early predictions of 15 percent industry growth have been significantly scaled back and are in the 8-10 percent range. Regardless, based on our 2011 performance, our large client profile, diverse revenue streams and the changes we’ve made to position us for growth in 2012 and beyond, we expect our agency’s growth to surpass the industry average. While TV is still our largest area, we do hope to double the percentage of revenue coming from digital media in the next 1-2 years. Right now, I’d say we have a “measured optimistic” outlook when it comes to 2012, but the first two quarters will be very telling.

     

    Q: What according to you were the key media trends of 2011 that may redefine the way we do business in the future?

    Consumer expectations drive and define our focus, going forward. To this point we will focus on creating meaningful human experiences by leveraging our core capabilities like Insights, Data, Analytics, Content and Digital.

     

    Q: What is the vision that you have chalked out for the network in 2012?

    Moving into 2012, we will continue to build on the three-pillared strategy as we move SMG India beyond mere “media agency” offerings to becoming a Human Experience Company, which grows client business by transforming behaviour through uplifting and meaningful human experiences. In doing so, we’ll become more than an agency that simply releases advertising across a variety of channels, but as a storehouse of research and insights that can help integrate communications plans across media and non-media channels. While others in the marketplace are still working in the commodified world of planning and buying, we feel we’ve carved out a unique place to operate that’s focused on where the industry is headed, not where it’s been.

     

    John Sheehy image courtesy: Starcom MediaVest Group